


Stranded

by CheekysMagic



Category: The Martian, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Fluff, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mpreg, NSFW, the martian - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 23:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5435132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheekysMagic/pseuds/CheekysMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is inspired and slightly based on the book and movie, ‘The Martian’ and does contain slight spoilers so be warned. </p><p>Also, I know it is not scientifically accurate so please don’t correct me on that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mark opened his eyes and winced, his ears being blasted with the noise of the loud screeching which he could only assume to be the alarm system of his suit. A voice constantly reminded him that his oxygen levels were low and he could feel himself short of breath. His body ached and he was buried deep in what he could only assume to be soil.

What the hell had happened?

The last thing he could remember was that his team was on the mission of an emergency evacuation due to a large storm forming not far from them, as they’d attempted to escape, the communication satellite for their base broke free and had ended up hitting into him, knocking him miles away from the crew.

His only assumption was that they’d must have thought he had died and therefore, they’d evacuated without him.

He slowly pulled his aching body out of the soil and he gasped as he felt a stabbing pain in his side, looking down to realise that a part of the satellite had become embedded in his stomach. Mark cursed angrily and tried to stand up, only to fall down as a wire attached to the part embedded in him pulled harshly.

“Fucking hell..” Mark gasped, searching in his pocket and pulling out a pair of wire cutters which he used to quickly cut at the wire and free him of the thing that kept him tied to the satellite.

When he stood again, it became apparent that the storm had passed and right now, he was faced with the fierce temperatures of the sun beating down on him. He became aware that the alarm was still on and he pressed a button on his control panel that was based on his glove, silencing it and feeling oxygen flood back into his helmet much to his relief.

As he looked around, a tight sensation began in his chest as everything began to sink in. He was abandoned on the planet Mars and to everyone’s knowledge, he was dead.

That included his husband.

“Oh god.. Jack..”

Collapsing onto the ground again on his knees, Mark’s eyes stared at the red soil as he started thinking about his lover back home.

“Do ya have t’go? I’m gonna miss yeh.. You’ll be gone fer nearly a year” Jack said with a sigh, resting his head on the man he called his husband’s chest and cuddled in closer to him. Mark looked down at him and ran a hand through his hair, feeling just as distraught as Jack.

“I know it’s going to be a long time.. But I promise time will go faster than you think, it always does. How can I pass this opportunity Jack? I’ll be one of the first humans on Mars, that’s pretty impressive”

Jack chuckled lightly and sat himself up, deciding to climb on top of Mark and straddle him which if anything, came as a surprise to the older man since he hadn’t really expected this kind of behaviour from the other man. “Well, can ya please make this night one I’ll never ferget?”

A light blush appeared on Mark’s cheeks but he nodded his head, pulling Jack’s head down and kissing him tenderly on the lips. “I’ll make sure you never forget” He kissed him again and ran his hands down his back, listening to the way that Jack moaned.

A moan he’d come to love in more ways than one.

Mark arrived at the NASA headquarters not long after he’d gotten up that morning, saying goodbye to Jack was the toughest thing he’d ever done but he knew that he had to do this.

Two months passed into his training and Mark was in the middle of one of his usual ‘Skype’ calls with Jack when it seemed quite obvious that something was wrong with the other man. “You alright babe? You’re acting kind of..weird”

The Irishman sighed softly and he hung his head low, almost as if he were ashamed of something and this only served to further Mark’s inquisition of what was wrong with his lover.

“Please don’t freak out.. But I’ve been feelin’ sick so I took a test and.. And I’m pregnant, Mark”

Feeling too shocked to speak, Mark just happened to stare at the screen and register the information that the other man had just told him. “Y-you’re pregnant?” He managed, his voice slightly croaky since this was a lot to take in.

Jack slowly nodded his head and wiped the tears that had built up in his eyes. “Yes and.. And I don’t know how I’m goin’ t’ cope without ya” Mark breathed out through his nose and blinked away the tears in his own eyes, trying to cope with the situation.

“I.. I wish I could leave this mission baby, but I can’t.. I’m due to be sent out to the Hermes space station by the end of the week.. If I was to leave, everything would be ruined”

The other man slowly nodded his head and swallowed thickly, still wiping away the tears that dripped down his face. “I understand Mark.. Jus’ please, try and stay in touch with me.. I want ya t’ see the moment I have yer child..”

More tears filled Mark’s eyes and he couldn’t help the sob that escaped him as he nodded enthusiastically at his husband and put his hand up the screen. “I promise I’ll be home for the birth of our child, baby.. I’ll be damned if I don’t keep that promise” Jack smiled at his lover, appreciating his determined nature.

“If ya say so.. Then I’ll keep yeh t’ that promise Mark”

They both smiled at one another and Jack placed his hand on his own screen, the couple sharing the last intimate moment that Mark would remember so intensely.

Despite the pain in his stomach, Mark had found himself lost in his memories of him and Jack to really concentrate on it. He slowly picked himself back up off the floor and wandered toward the base which was thankfully not destroyed by the storm.

As he entered it, the sirens went off which warned a decrease of pressure and he was quick to close the doors which allowed the pressure to return back to normal. A sharp pain travelled through his abdomen and he gasped, holding his wound and realising he was going to have to pull it out.

“Fuck.. This is gonna fucking hurt like a bitch” Mark grabbed hold of the metal spike which was currently sticking out of his body and then quickly pulled it out, shrieking in pain as he fell forward and blood was quick to spill from the hole in his body.

He started taking off his suit and collapsed onto a chair, dabbing at the hole in his stomach as more blood escaped it, he quickly stitched it up and bandaged it before he went into his bedroom and collapsed on his bed, gasping as he felt himself exhausted.

“I’m really alone now..”

Mark whispered to himself, tears building in his eyes as he turned onto his side and started thinking about Jack again. The one man that he was missing the most right now, to think that he was fifty million miles away from him only served to tighten the sensation in his chest.

The last call that he had with Jack was just before they arrived at Mars, it had been about three months since he’d been sent to the Hermes space station and within that time, Jack had constantly updated Mark about what had been happening on Earth and of course, the condition of their child.

“I went fer my ultrasound last week and they told me, it’s a boy” Jack had said, excitement practically taking over his face which could only cause Mark to smile widely since he loved seeing his lover like this. “Baby that’s so great.. I can’t believe we’re gonna have a little boy”

Butterflies travelled through Mark when he saw Jack stand up and he saw just how large the younger man had gotten since they’d last spoken. His bump was so potently visible now and he couldn’t believe that the child making him look like that was his.

“I’m so proud of you baby, I can’t wait to see him..” Mark had said, admiring the way the man had happened to blush at his comment before he sat himself back down in his chair.

“Ya will be back befer I have the baby, right?”

The older man chuckled softly and bit down on his lip, they were only meant to be on Mars for a month and then the trip back would take another three months, just in time for when Jack was due to give birth. “I made a promise and I’m determined to keep it, I’m sure of it babe”

Jack had smiled at him and had suddenly gasped, making Mark panic since he’d never heard him sound like that. “What? What is it?” But then, the Irishman grinned and patted his stomach, laughing away to himself.

“The baby is kickin’..”

As Mark wiped away the last of his tears, it had become apparent to him that he wouldn’t be back to see Jack give birth. With the whole world believing he was dead, there was no doubt that Jack would be distraught, depressed and in all, grieving the loss of his husband.

That hurt the older man greatly, to think that Jack believed him to be dead and that he had not only just lost his husband, but also the father of his unborn child. Mark felt himself get ideas flooding through his head and there was only one thought rushing through his mind the fastest.

He had to get home.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack stared at the television and felt his whole body freeze up, numbness filling him as he watched the broadcast of his husband’s memorial service.

Having refused to attend since he didn’t want to be filmed, Jack had decided to watch from the supposed comfort of his own home. But it wasn’t comfortable anymore, filled with the harsh reminders that Mark used to live there.

And now, Mark was dead and he was never coming back.

Hands shaking, Jack turned off the television and lay himself down on the couch and closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and trying to hold in the tears. “He’s dead, Jack.. Jus’ fuckin’ accept it..”

It was hard to accept it though when Mark had been so confident when he said he’d be home in time to see the birth of their child. But not only would he never be home again, he would never see his son.

Mark shook awake from a nightmare that had been making him toss and turn all night, sitting up in his bed and looking outside to realise that there was another sandstorm occurring outside. He felt himself angry at Mars, blaming the planet for the fact that he was trapped here.

As he pulled himself out of bed and toward the kitchen, the American made himself some food and tried to fight the nausea he was currently experiencing. “I can’t let this be the reason I die.. That I’m too fucking weak to face reality”

Slamming his fist down on the counter, Mark started searching around in the food drawers of the kitchen and found a box labeled ‘DO NOT OPEN UNTIL THANKSGIVING’. He pulled the lid off and grinned when he saw it was filled with potatoes.

“Damn, if Jack was here I’d be making so many Irish jokes right now..”

A devious smirk appeared on his face as he looked at the space before him in the middle of the kitchen and he crossed his arms firm across his chest. “It’s good that I happen to be a botanist”

“You know you can talk to me, Jack. Don’t isolate yourself” Molly’s voice was gentle but it passed in one ear and out the other for the younger man, he managed to give her a small smile and then went back to work. “I’m fine, Molly. Honestly I am..” But it seemed like he wasn’t convincing enough and she rested a hand on his shoulder.

“If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here”

And with that, she walked away and left the Irishman to get back to what he was doing. His job was to check the satellites currently orbiting Mars and right now, he was focussing in on the base. But as he got closer and flicked between the two photos that the device had took, something became quite clear to him.

The rover had moved.

Feeling adrenaline rush through him, Jack was quick to grab his phone and dialled a number before he held the cell to his ear. “Hello, I’d like t’ speak t’ the head of NASA please, it’s an emergency..”

Despite the job being difficult and quite disgusting, Mark had finally been able to plant all the potatoes that he’d found. It had been a tedious process and had involved him shovelling not only Martian soil but also his own crap as fertiliser in order to make sure this would work.

There was just one problem, he needed a constant supply of water.

“Oh chemistry, don’t fail me now” Mark knew exactly what he needed to do and despite the risks that it posed, he knew the only way he’d get a constant supply would be to burn hydrogen and oxygen together.

“Well.. That was definitely not what I’d been expecting..”

Being the idiot that he knew himself to be, Mark had just so happened to blow himself up on his first attempt. “I’ll try that again.. Once my ears stop ringing”

“Shit, do you think this is pure evidence that Fischbach alive?” Teddy asked, staring at the screen as Jack flicked between the two images he’d seen before. “Not only has the rover been moved, the solar panels have been cleaned and the soil has been dug up” Teddy nodded at him and looked over at his secretary.

“When do you think we should let people know?”

The young woman glanced at the screen and then back at her boss, swallowing thickly. “I’d say we have about twenty-four hours before we have to make this public, but I don’t know how people are going to react to the news that we left a man on Mars”

Jack turned to glare at her but kept himself professional in front of the head of NASA, last thing he needed was to act out of character just because that happened to be his husband who was stranded on an inhabited planet.

“D’ya think we’ll be able t’ get in contact with him?” Jack asked, genuinely curious as he looked over at the scientist who was stood next to Teddy’s secretary. “I’d say we’ll be able to communicate once Mark repairs the satellite, that is. If he can”

Turning back to the screen which flicked between both images that showed the proof that his lover was alive, the Irishman sighed softly and placed a hand on his stomach.

“Please jus’ be okay Markimoo.. Please jus’ be okay..”

“Fuck yes! I am the fucking greatest scientist on this planet! Mainly because I’m the only scientist on this planet!” Mark yelled to himself, running his hand over the thick condensation on the curtains that surrounded his small garden.

He’d finally managed to produce his own constant water supply.

As he made his lunch, Mark sat himself at his desk and turned on his laptop, inspecting the maps that had been set up for Mars and plotting out a route for himself. The next landing of the Ares mission (which would be the fourth one) would be about a fifty day trek from the base.

It would be difficult, but it would be the only way to make contact.

Well that was, until Mark saw a little icon on the screen which was just a couple miles away from the main base and it suddenly snapped in the older man’s brain. He needed to find something that might just ensure his ability to get into contact with NASA.

And it all started with the name ‘Mars Pathfinder’


	3. Chapter 3

Mark stood outside and looked around at the abandoned atmosphere that was Mars, he sighed heavily as it became more daunting how truly alone he was on this planet. He climbed into the rover that was sat just outside the base and began his journey toward the designated point which would spell communication for him.

Meanwhile, in the NASA headquarters, everyone had already guessed what he was doing and Jack had asked that the scientist go to the flight propulsion headquarters in Pasadena in order to see if their assumption was correct.

When the scientist had arrived, he immediately asked to see the replica rover known as ‘Mars Pathfinder’ which was one of the first rovers sent out to Mars in 1997, which only took still images of a singular area.

This would be Mark’s only chance to truly get communication with NASA and they were determined to make it work.

As they set up the rover, Mark was currently digging up the real one that had been buried under the thick Martian soil for who knows how long, as more of the device was unearthed (or should I say, unmartianed), the more excited the American became as he begged the gods that this would work.

He dug up the rover and attached it to the back of the rover, driving back under the hot rays of the sun before he returned to base. His plan now becoming a reality as he set about repairing the rover.

Everyone was on edge, the replica was set up and ready to perform. The camera being the only thing that would signify whether or not it could see the man that they’d accidentally left on a planet more than fifty million miles away.

“You sure this is going to work?” Asked the scientist, biting down on a loose bit of skin on his thumb as they stared expectantly at the blank computer screen which would tell them if Mark had successfully managed to repair it.

It remained blank for a good two minutes before code suddenly appeared and filled the once black monitor, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat and they immediately set about checking what the camera had to say.

When the images flashed on, there were three signs.

_‘Are you getting this?’_ in the middle and _‘Yes’_ and _‘No’_ at either side for the camera to point at. 

They were quick to rotate the camera so that it faced the yes sign and they all but anticipated what Mark’s reply would be.

The next sign appeared and it read. _‘Well thank fuck for that’_

There was a bout of laughter that erupted from the men at the flight propulsion headquarters as they felt themselves relieved to see Mark alive and still humorous. The next sign appeared and this one read. _‘Got stabbed by the satellite. I’m okay. Found potatoes and grew them. Tell the crew they were right to think me dead and it’s not their fault’_

The members looked at each other and swallowed thickly. They were yet to tell the crew that Mark was alive.

But the next sign that appeared was one that definitely set guilt in the men’s stomachs.

_‘How is my husband and the baby? Does he know I’m alive?’_

Jack tapped his fingers on the desk as he felt himself nervous, the entire time he’d been waiting for a phone call from the scientist to tell him that they’d managed to get in contact with his husband.

His eyes kept looking over at his cellphone and the back at the desk, he knew this kind of stress wasn’t good for the baby but to think that maybe they would never communicate with Mark ever again, was just a scary thought in itself.

But then, the phone rang.

Mark felt relief flood through him as he saw as the camera turned to the sign that said ‘Yes’ and that couldn’t have been better news. That the man he loved so dearly knew that he was alive and well and if anything, wouldn’t be grieving over him anymore.

As time went on, the chats between him and NASA became more frequent but it was beginning to look like they needed a more direct line of speech. The scientists at NASA sent Mark a coding system which would hack the rover’s computer and allow them to chat in a text-like format instead of the slow paced movement of the rover’s camera.

He punched in the numbers and waited patiently for the text system to come up and he grinned to himself, feeling proud of what he’d managed to accomplish in only a couple weeks.

The first message was sent and Mark immediately replied, talking back and forth with NASA until the one question that had been burning on Mark’s mind came to be typed into the chat.

_‘Would I be alright to speak to my husband?’_

All eyes turned to Jack who was sat behind his desk, watching the screen which had been showing the chat to not only all of the NASA employees but also to the entire world. He’d had tears in his eyes and his heart had been pounding in his chest but when he saw the message, he couldn’t help the shock he felt.

Slowly, he got up out of his seat and walked toward the computer which was currently messaging Mark, the scientist smiled at him and patted him on the back as his shaking hands approached the keyboard and started to type.

_‘Hey baby, how’s Mars? I’ve missed you.’_

Tears built up in Mark’s eyes as he realised that Jack was messaging him. The first time they’d gotten into contact since he’d arrived at Mars. He breathed in deeply through his nose and decided to reply.

_‘It’s good but I can’t stand the idea of being so far away from you’_

‘How’s the baby? Are you both alright?’ 

Everyone in the NASA headquarters awed at the couple and Jack felt himself blushing, trying to pretend that this conversation wasn’t being broadcast to the entire world.

_‘He’s fine but he wishes that you’d be here to see him soon. We’re both fine but it’s hard thinking how long it’s going to take you to come back.’_

‘I know baby, I’ll be home soon. Don’t you worry’

‘I love you so much, don’t forget that’ 

Jack felt himself starting to cry and he was quick to wipe away the tears, feeling Molly’s comforting hand on his shoulder as he tried to stay strong in front of his fellow employees and the head of NASA too.

_‘I love you too. Please just stay safe, that’s all I want right now.’_

‘As long as you’re on my mind, I’ll stay as safe as possible. Please stay strong for me baby, I’ll be home before you know it’ 

This caused the Irishman to break down and he broke away from the computer, running out of the room and into one of the bathrooms. He couldn’t take the knowledge of how far away his lover was.

The baby started kicking as it sensed his upset and he was quick to place a hand on his stomach, patting gently in order to calm the child.

“Daddy will be home soon, he said it himself. So don’t worry, everything will be fine..”

Little did Jack know though, things were about to get a lot worse.


	4. Chapter 4

“Fuck you weather..” Mark grumbled as he looked outside and saw another sandstorm going on outside, the harsh grains pummeling the base and causing it to shake and groan but not enough to cause any harm to the structure itself.

Currently, the older man was setting out a plan for when he left the refuge of the base that he’d found himself calling home. Since the trek to the Ares IV landing area was going to take around fifty days, he knew that he needed to start making future plans for how he was going to manage such a long mission.

So far, he’d been practicing the journey by taking the rover out longer and longer distances each time, testing how long it would go before it needed to be recharged and how long Mark himself could go before he began to succumb to the freezing temperatures that resulted after sunset.

Mark knew that in order to conserve battery he couldn’t turn the heater on but without it, he’d surely freeze to death. He knew one thing that would keep him warm though, but it posed many risks.

Risks that he knew he was just going to have to take.

A couple meters away from the base, buried under meters of soil with a flag that warned it’s location. Was a radioactive plutonium isotope that had been brought specifically to Mars in the sake of being a backup energy supply if solar happened to give up on them.

They’d been told specifically not to dig it up, but right now, as Mark went at it with his shovel at the soil, that instruction had been thrown out of the window.

As careful as he could and with the help of the rover, the American managed to remove the isotope from the ground and as long as he didn’t break it, it should be fine. This would surely supply him with the warmth that he needed while he was going to be riding the rover.

He strapped it into the backseat like a child and patted it, feeling smug that he’d managed to be smart enough to create his own resourceful heat supply without the wastage of his rover’s battery.

It was something that Jack would have definitely thought up and in that, it only made Mark miss the other man more.

Waking up from a nightmare, the Irishman clutched his chest and gasped hard and heavily as he looked down at his body to realise it was coated in sweat. He collapsed against the mattress and cursed loudly, this had been the third time this night, the tenth time this week and the twentieth time this month.

The nightmares were nothing new to Jack but it didn’t stop them from being scary and utterly realistic, each one much more worse than the last. Jack closed his eyes and panted softly, trying to recover from the scenario that had just played out in his head.

This time, it had been about him specifically and had featured the miscarriage of his and Mark’s child. Something he’d been dreading would happen since the moment that he’d learnt that he was pregnant.

Jack looked down at his stomach and sighed softly, running his hand over it and closing his eyes as tears happened to escape him and he tried his hardest to hold them back. Even though Mark had been gone for nearly seven months now, Jack still hadn’t gotten over the ever-looming loneliness he’d experienced here in this way-too empty apartment of his.

The child shifted inside him and that told him he wasn’t completely alone but at the same time, it only reminded him of his lover. That this baby was a product of him and Mark and therefore, Mark not being here while the child moved only served to remind him more of the other man.

Jack needed to speak to him or better more, needed to see him.

Jolted awake in his sleep, Mark opened his eyes and looked over outside at the rover. It seemed to have a message on it and was currently notifying him as the screen flashed repeatedly . It was just his luck that the storm which had been occurring had finally stopped.

He got out of bed and pulled on his suit, going outside toward the rover and climbing inside to see what NASA had sent him. It was surprise to see that this was not any ordinary message.

It was from Jack.

_‘Mark. I can’t stay for long so I just need to quickly tell you this. I need to see you, badly. I know the communication satellite has been damaged, but you’re a smart man and you know how to repair things. If you fix that satellite, that means that not only will you be able to video chat with NASA again, it means we’ll be able to see each other again.’_

‘Please think about it. I’m so desperate to see your face again, I miss you so badly.’

‘I love you, stay safe.’ 

Staring at the screen with sheer disbelief, the American looked around and then back at the text on the screen before he started to smirk. There was no denying that Jack had broke into the NASA headquarters in order to send him that message and he felt himself proud of his husband being that plucky.

But then there was the daunting task of repairing the communication satellite. If he did repair it though, it meant easier communication and of course seeing Jack again.

Oh how he wished to see his lover again.

For the next couple days, Mark did nothing but try and fix the satellite. Each day felt fruitless and uneventful as most of the time he failed to get parts back together or at times he simply didn’t know what he was doing but with determination burning in his belly, Mark knew he had to do this.

He had to see Jack again.

Meanwhile, on Earth a whole different situation was going on. The NASA headquarters and the head of NASA had been calculating just how long it was going to take before Mark’s food rations ran out. Granted, he had his own farm going on but what happened when that ran out?

It was agreed that on Sol 367, they would sent out an emergency IRIS satellite filled with food supplies to Mars, they could only hope that Mark would hold out until then, as currently, the device itself would need building.

Finally after nearly a week of unsuccessful attempts to fix the base’s communication satellite, Mark had found that he’d won the ongoing battle between him and the device that had been pummelling him to the ground with effort and exertion.

He mounted it onto the roof and contacted NASA telling them the good news.

It was late that night when he finally finished mounting the satellite and was making the final adjustments before he decided to finish for the night, it was especially cold and he could feel the temperatures nipping through his suit.

Mark opened the doors to the base and heard the sirens going off warning him about the decrease in pressure, but as he closed the door in order to allow it to return to normal, something happened.

A tear appeared in the protective casing of the door and the whole hatch broke away from the base in a huge release of gas and pressure, launching Mark miles away from his home as the large bulk of the hatch crashed around the soil covered surface.

Groaning and grunting as he was thrown about inside the hatch, it finally settled not too far from where he’d been thrown but as he opened his eyes, he gasped when he realised there was a crack in his helmet.

The oxygen began to escape and Mark panicked as he was quick to grab a roll of duct tape he kept on his belt, being quick to rip bits off as he stuck it against the hole which was allowing his precious supply escape.

Alarms went off in the suit, the voice announcing that the oxygen levels were plummeting from ten percent to five percent. Mark could already feel himself losing breath.

With more pieces of duct tape in place, the oxygen finally stopped escaping and Mark could breathe again, feeling relieved that he’d managed to save himself from suffocation. He opened the doors of the now broken hatch and stood outside toward the hole now ripped open in the base.

As he approached, a sinking feeling started in his stomach as he stared at the crops of potatoes which had been growing in the base since near the start of day one.

With the icy temperatures and Mars’ harsh atmosphere, the poor potato plants didn’t stand a chance and they’d frozen solid within an instant. Putting a stop to Mark’s constant food supply.

He slowly looked over at the rover and swallowed hard. That IRIS satellite needed to get here faster than planned if Mark was ever going to survive here on Mars.

Things couldn’t have looked bleaker than they did right now.


	5. Chapter 5

Mark worked on long and hard into the night, constantly battling the icy conditions that dared to freeze him to where he stood. He felt determined to fix what had gone wrong and he’d be damned to let this get to him.

After the incident with the hatch blowing off, Mark had immediately gone to the rover to tell NASA the bad news and how his desperation for the IRIS satellite had grown increasingly as he found more and more of his crops dead, killed by Mars’ atmosphere.

When they messaged him back, their immediate response was that he should repair the damages as fast as he could to avoid further incidents occurring to the base.

So here he was, slaving away until the sun was breaking on Mars’ red horizon attempting to repair the massive hole which had been torn in his home. Layers upon layers of plastic tarp and duct tape covered the obstruction while he drilled the edges into what was left of the hatch’s attachment.

Finally done, Mark felt relief when he was finally able to go to bed and sleep off what he’d all but exerted through the night. He hoped to god that relief would get here fast.

“What do you mean we need to get the IRIS satellite up before Sol 367? What happened to Mark’s food supply?”

Teddy sighed and pinched his brow between his fingers, unable to put up with his engineer’s upset when it was clear how dire the situation had become. “His hatch blew off and exposed the crops to Mars’ atmosphere. They died instantly. We need to get this satellite up before Sol 367 or Fischbach is gonna starve to death”

The engineer looked back at his fellow colleagues and shrugged his shoulders, sighing. “In order to do that. we’ll have to narrow our time down. How does two weeks sound?” Teddy frowned momentarily before he nodded his head.

“Two weeks should be enough, but I feel it will be need to be done within at least twelve days, do you think you’ll be able to do that?” There was a short pause before the engineer spoke again. “What are you suggesting? That we skip something?”

“That’s exactly what I’m proposing and I know it’s risky, but Mark will die without this satellite”

With short discussion, the engineer turned to the head once again. “What do you propose we skip?” Again a pause and then Teddy spoke up. “What about the safety tests? Can we bypass them to give us enough time to launch it into space” Everyone looked at Teddy with shock on their faces.

“Are you willing to take the risk?”

Teddy nodded, a stern expression on his face.

“What the fuck d’ya mean they’re bypassin’ the safety tests?” Jack growled, running his hands fervently through his hair in a stressed fashion as he paced back and forth in his office. 

Molly stood up from out of her seat and went over Jack, wanting to calm him down since she knew this wasn’t good for the baby. “I know it looks bleak Jack, but this is the only way they’ll get the IRIS out to him in time. They’re looking out for him, just remember that”

But Jack found it difficult to believe her and he couldn’t help but stress more. “What if it goes up in flames? What then? It’ll jus’ prolong the launch havin’ t’ build a new satellite.. He’s a dead man either way” Molly sighed softly and patted his shoulder gently.

“You shouldn’t be stressing about this right now. You need to focus on bigger things, like that baby of yours”

This happened to anger Jack and he pulled away from the younger woman, grabbing his coat and marching toward the door of the office. “Molly, ya wouldn’t understand. Yer husband isn’t stranded on a far away planet with no way of comin’ home and with little chance of survival!”

And with that, he stormed out.

It was tedious, but Mark had managed to set the communication satellite codes back up. He felt proud having managed to do this all by himself with no help from Jack (since he happened to be the expert on these kind of things) and yet, the knowledge that he was going to see his face again, only made Mark feel more proud of what he had done.

NASA found out straight away that he’d repaired the satellite and felt it in their best interest to be the first ones to video call him, not that Mark minded, in fact he’d be happy to see another human’s face after nearly three months trapped in isolation on Mars.

As the camera came to life, the American felt tears prick his eyes as he came face to face with the image of all the staff from NASA. He waved and tried not to cry in front of the head, knowing that he was amongst the crowd and he knowing he had to remain professional.

“How’s everything, Mark? You doing okay?” Teddy asked, his voice warm and deep like it had always been. The other man breathed through his nose and closed his eyes, feeling relief to hear another human’s voice again.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay. Managed to repair the rupture in the base and I am rationing as best I can..”

Everyone discussed amongst themselves before Teddy decided to speak again. “We’re preparing to launch the IRIS satellite to you around tomorrow afternoon, Mark. It’ll take about two months to get to you, is that okay?”

A strong sensation started in Mark’s stomach when he heard how long it was going to take. Sure, he had enough rations for that amount of time to keep him going, but it meant that he wasn’t going to be home in time for Jack to give birth.

Oh Jack, how he missed him.

“That sounds fine, is my husband in the crowd? I wish to speak to him” But as they looked around, it seemed apparent that Jack was not there and this caused another pang to travel through the older man.

Then Teddy decided to speak again. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Mark. We’ve devised a special video chat system just for you and him so you can speak in private”

Feeling relief, Mark nodded his head and smiled at the head of NASA.

“Oh my god.. Baby is that actually you?” Mark felt tears fill his eyes as he stared at the screen with the man who was on it. “Oh my god.. It is.. Oh my..” He started to cry, unable to hold back as he’d just missed his husband so much.

“Dear lord, yer such a softy..”

Jack said, his voice shaky as he too lost it and started to sob. “I-I missed yeh so much.. I’m so happy t’ see ya”

Wiping away the tears, Mark attempted to calm himself in front of his lover since he wanted to savour this moment between them. “Are you okay? Is that baby alright?” Jack just chuckled and then stood up, showing Mark the full expanse of his stomach.

Definitely bigger than when he’d last saw him.

“Oh.. How far along are you now?” The Irishman smiled and patted his bump, his son began to stir and this excited Jack since finally the child was going to be able to hear his father’s voice. “I’m about eight months, haven’t got long t’ go now Markimoo..”

That pang returned and Mark closed his eyes, trying not to think about the fact he wouldn’t be there for the birth. “Is it hard? Carrying him? You’re so small, it’s hard to think you’re being able to carry such a large thing around” This caused Jack to laugh again and he rolled his eyes, sitting back in his chair.

“I’m more resilient than yeh think, Mark. It’s hard, yes. But I’m managin’. It would be easier if ya were here though..”

There was a silence that followed between both men and slowly, Mark placed his hand on the screen and Jack noticed, feeling tears well up again. He returned the gesture and they both stared at each other, smiling.

“I love you so much..” Mark whispered, kissing his hand and then blowing which the younger man could only laugh at, being reminded of how cheesy his husband was.

He moved his hand away from the screen and sat back in his chair, shifting so that Mark could see his stomach without him having to stand up. “We both love yeh too.. Can ya do one thing fer me Markimoo?”

Mark smiled and wiped away another tear.

“Anything for you, love..”

“Talk t’ the baby, I want him t’ hear yer voice.. Even jus’ once.. I want him t’ hear ya”

And talk was what Mark did, endlessly on into the night until Jack found himself unable to stay awake. They said their goodbyes and blew kisses at each other.

Even though the American did feel more content that night, it sure didn’t resolve the hideous loneliness that surrounded him. As long as he had Jack in his mind though, he could forget where he was. Even if it was just for a little bit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the massive delay for chapters! This should be updated every day until it is finished :)

There was no doubt that this guy was new. Mark stared at him intently as the stranger wandered through the headquarters, his face confused and his steps reluctant as it was obvious he had no idea where he was going.

Mark took pity on him and stood up from behind his desk, walking over to the new guy and watching as his eyes bulged as he noticed his presence. “Hey, are you lost?” The older man asked, the other man rubbing the back of his neck as he stared down at the ground.

It seemed like this guy was kind of blushing.

“U-um yeah.. I-I’m new here.. First day actually” This caused Mark to smile and he patted him gently on the shoulder, giving him some reassurance that told him there was nothing to be worried about. “Where ya heading to?”

Looking over at the hand on his shoulder and then back over at the other man, the new guy swallowed thickly and smiled awkwardly in his direction. “I need t’ get t’ my new office. They told me it was in headquarters but this place is fuckin’ massive” He laughed gently and his face dropped slightly.

“Can yeh help me find it?”

Being quick to nod his head, Mark turned around and expected him to follow him as he made his way over to the main desk and started withering on to his fellow worker about a new guy and how he had no idea where his office was. She glanced behind Mark to see the small awkward man stood there and she smiled.

“Try floor 12, he should be up there” Mark grinned and thanked her, leading the new guy once again and over to the elevator.

“So, what’s your name newbie?”

His face flushed once again and he stuttered his words before he managed to speak again. “Jack, my name is Jack McLoughlin.. What about you?”

The doors opened and Mark stepped in, making room for Jack despite the cramped space of the lift itself. “My name’s Mark Fischbach. It’s nice to meet you, Jack. You’re gonna love working at NASA, I assure you” He put his hand out for Jack to shake and the other man reluctantly shook it.

As they reached their destined floor, it was becoming obvious that the guy beside him was very flustered in his presence as every time they happened to catch each other in the small space, Jack would immediately apologise and his face would go red.

“So, I noticed your accent. You from Ireland?” Jack quickly nodded his head, again smiling awkwardly as he avoided eye contact with the older man. “Yeah, moved t’ America about two years ago. Best decision I made gettin’ away from the rainy shit that is Ireland”

Mark laughed heartily at him and the elevator stopped, the doors opening to allow both men to exit as they walked along the corridor toward the row of doors until Jack paused in front of one of them and pulled out a pair of keys.

“Room 178, this is mine”

Both of them walked inside and Jack set his bag down and then admired his new office, feeling pleased that he’d actually been given such a nice working space. He haltered in his actions though when he realised that Mark was still stood there.

“Th-thank ya fer helpin’ me find my office. I appreciate it” The older man smiled at him and then closed the door behind them, much to Jack’s surprise since he had no idea what the other man was attempting to initiate.

He wandered over to the Irishman with this almost devious expression on his face and he looked away in a bashful manner before chuckling to himself. “What is it?” Jack asked, his face reddening again since this guy was deliriously attractive, especially when he was acting like this.

“I was just wondering, I know we’ve only just met.. Oh man, it doesn’t matter”

“Yes.” Was Jack’s straight response, staring outright at Mark.

Mark faced him and his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before he came to terms with what had just happened. “You do realise I was going to ask you out, right?”

The younger man nodded his head and smirked at him, grabbing Mark’s hand and a small pen as he was swift to write his number down on his palm.

“Call me and we’ll arrange a date. It was nice meetin’ yeh, Mark Fischbach”

All eyes were on the screen, everyone transfixed on the event that was about to occur in front of them.

The IRIS satellite was due to be launched today, the time having come sooner due to NASA having to skip safety tests since Mark’s food supply had depleted significantly after the incident with the hatch blowing off.

There was so many risks with this considering that they had no idea if this was going to be a successful launch, especially after there had been no safety regulation whatsoever. The technicians and the head of NASA had been biting their nails hoping nothing was going to happen.

“Countdown to launch starts in ten.. Nine.. Eight..”

Everyone’s hearts jumped into their throats and silence befell the NASA headquarters as everything was leading up to this moment.

“Seven.. Six.. Five.. Four..”

Jack closed his eyes and prayed harder than he had when Mark had first been launched into space, he had little faith in this satellite but there was no harm in hoping it would work.

“Three.. Two.. One.. Lift off!”

The rockets beneath the satellite began to erupt and propelled it up into the air, everyone in the headquarters started celebrating and cheering as it began to gain altitude and Jack opened his eyes, staring at the screen as the IRIS got higher and higher into the air.

Something wasn’t right, one of the rockets was becoming engulfed in a ball of flames.

He was about to stand up and shout to warn them but then out of nowhere, the satellite lost its height and began to plummet down until it exploded in a huge ball of smoke and rocket fuel. All celebration suddenly stopped as everyone was left shellshocked at the sight they’d just watched.

Teddy ran his hands through his hair and cursed under his breath. Things had gotten much more desperate.

“Hey baby, you alright?” Mark smiled as he noticed that his lover had flashed onto his screen, having been without any video chats for the past couple days so things had become deliriously lonely.

At first, Jack didn’t reply and instead just stared down at the ground and rubbed his neck awkwardly, Mark felt a slight hint of nostalgia but he chose not to comment on it. “Baby, is everything okay?”

The Irishman looked up and then sighed, playing with his hands. “The IRIS satellite exploded and NASA is runnin’ out of ideas, they’re worried yer gonna end up starvin’ t’ death.. I’m worried too”

Mark sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair, knowing this was a huge blow to his confidence in his agency and not really knowing what to say. “Jesus christ.. I’m sure they’ll come up with something. They can’t just leave me to die, do you know how much shit they will get?” Jack nodded at him and bit down his lip.

“Please try not to worry love, I will survive this. Just try to focus on the positive side of things. And the baby too”

Jack looked down at his stomach and then back up at his husband, smiling sweetly at him and then checking his phone before a large grin appeared on his face. “Ya do know what day it is right?”

There was a pause as Mark collected his thoughts and then suddenly, he started grinning like a madman, feeling giddy.

“Yeah, it’s our anniversary today. Five years right?”

The other man nodded his head and couldn’t help but laugh happily, glad that the American had remembered. “Usually we’d have celebratory sex, but that’s a bit impossible with a fifty million mile difference between us”

“Well..”

Jack’s blue eyes bulged and he stared at his lover in a questioning manner. “What? What are ya thinkin’?” The older man smirked and he leaned forward on his desk.

“We could.. Ya know, do what I did when I was being trained at NASA. All those ‘Skype’ calls we had. Why not do another one?” The Irishman’s face flushed bright red and he couldn’t help his embarrassment but also arousal at his husband’s words.

“Are ya suggestin’.. That we cyber-sex on completely different planets?”

Mark slowly nodded his head, looking intently at the other man as he awaited his confirmation.

“O-okay Mark.. Let’s do it”


	7. Chapter 7

“Are ya sure that NASA won’t be monitorin’ this call?” Jack asked again as he began to remove his hoodie and looked around himself as if all the staff from headquarters were in the room with him.

Mark rolled his eyes and smirked at him, taking off his shirt and throwing it across the room. His body was significantly skinnier now, having lost muscle mass and weight as a result of his new rationed diet which was considerably smaller portions for a man of Mark’s size.

The younger man picked up on it immediately and he stared at his husband’s torso, feeling concerned since it was scary seeing the man that once boasted his muscles to be losing them so rapidly. But, in their situation where everything was intimate and heated, Jack chose not to bring up his worries.

Angling his webcam down to his lower half, Mark palmed himself through his pants, smirking when he could see how intently Jack was staring at the screen as it must have been a while since he too got this kind of action.

“How much have you missed my cock, baby?”

Jack swallowed and bit down on his lip, trying to talk through his cloud of arousal. “S-so much.. I’ve missed it so much..” This caused the older man to smirk and he slowly undid his fly, unbuttoning and then pulling the material down. All in a manner which would tease his husband.

The entire time, the Irishman was touching himself under the table, his hand rubbing at the length in his boxers as he got off to the image of his lover’s hard bulge. “Move your camera down baby, I wanna see”

This caused Jack to whimper and he moved the camera down, leaning back in his chair and trying to angle himself since this process was much more difficult now that he was eight months pregnant. His jeans were pulled down and he was stroking himself over the material of his boxers.

“Jesus.. You’re so horny for me, aren’t you Jack?”

Again, the other man whimpered and he started to shuck his underwear down, pulling out his dick which he jerked painfully slow much to Mark’s satisfaction. The other man doing the same and almost laughing when he heard the hoarse moan that escaped Jack’s mouth.

“Yeh look so much more bigger than I remember.. Holy shit..” Jack’s accent was thick and rough and it caused shivers to travel through the American, running his hand over his large length and smirking when he could hear his lover whining under his breath.

“Fuck yourself. Now.”

Mark said with a growl, his voice so deep it might as well have been nothing more than a moan. The Irishman got up out of his chair and then sat back as far as he could, the older man was slightly amused by his struggle though since his bump was proving to be an obstruction to his efforts.

But the other man worked round it and soon slicked two of his fingers in lubricant, sliding one near his hole while the other slowly tugged on his cock. Mark found himself almost sucked into the sight and kept his eyes glued on the screen, jerking off faster as he watched as one of Jack’s fingers disappeared inside him.

“Fuck..” Jack cursed, throwing his head back as he slowly began to fuck himself with the digit while still getting off with his other hand, his mouth hanging open as every breath came out as a moan. “You enjoying yourself, Jackarooney?”

Having not heard Mark use that nickname for a quite a while, this only caused him to groan louder and he nodded his head, his eyes closed since they were too heavy with lust to keep them open even though he wanted to watch his husband get off.

He added a second finger and his breath hitched, having caught his prostate which caused a jolt of arousal to spread through him, the sheer image though being enough to make Mark harder as he got faster and faster with the tugs to his dick.

“How close are you baby?” Mark asked, his voice so deep and heated that the Irishman almost choked on his saliva since he couldn’t handle it when his lover sounded like that. “S-so fuckin’ close.. S-so close..” His fingers kept catching his prostate, causing heat to build up in his belly.

Mark smirked at his husband and carried on his pace until he too felt himself get close to climax. This felt so strange to realise that outside, the world was not the same to how it was to Jack. That this was the most human thing they were doing together and yet, they were separated by the sheer boundaries of space.

In a way, it was the most intimate thing he’d ever done with any human being ever.

“I-I’m gonna come Mark..” Jack whispered, every breath hitching as he spread himself further in front of his lover and his whole face and chest burning red as the skin flushed with his blood. The older man smirked and leaned as close as he could to his microphone.

“Go on. Come for me. Come for me, Jackaboy”

Throwing his head back as far as it could go, Jack screamed out in pleasure as he felt himself come hard onto his stomach and chest, fucking himself through his orgasm as the waves crashed down on him relentlessly with no mercy.

The older man followed soon after, biting down on the knuckle of his left hand as he came onto his hand and the desk, gasping harshly but making an effort to stay quiet as he breathed through his climax and was quick to recover.

Jack on the other-hand, looked half dead.

“Are you suggesting that we give away this equipment to the Americans? Just for the sake of one of their astronauts?”

Tao nodded her head solemnly and looked over at the television which was broadcasting the latest report on the IRIS satellite explosion. “I feel it will aid them greatly in attempting to bring Mark Fischbach the supplies he needs”

Little did they know, another scientist was having just the same thoughts. Except these thoughts, involved the bringing of Mark Fischbach back to Earth.

All he needed, was for NASA to tell the crew of the Hermes space station. That Mark Edward Fischbach, was alive.


	8. Chapter 8

Teddy put the phone down and breathed a sigh of what he could only guess to be his own relief. Closing his eyes as he tipped his head back and then opened them to stare at the ceiling as he thought things through.

The Chinese were willing to share their rocket with NASA in order to help propel IRIS successfully into space and with less time required for it to reach Mark. The only problem was meeting and having to get the satellite rebuilt.

Time was short and right now, they couldn’t afford to mess with it.

Meanwhile, in a facility not far from the NASA headquarters sat Rich Purnell. A young aerodynamics scientist who was on the verge of a breakthrough.

He’d recently become quite interested in the case of Mark Fischbach and his abandonment on Mars and felt himself obligated to help NASA in their mission to bring him home. His efforts had been set back by the introduction of the China rocket but he felt determined to put his ideas across.

First though, he needed to recalculate his ideas with what he knew to be the largest supercomputer in the facility, he just hoped no one would get in his way.

Having travelled to China in order to meet Tao and her team, Teddy knew for a fact that any slip up right now would be disastrous and they could not afford the very little time they had left. Hands were shook and plans were arranged, but there was no telling if this would actually work.

Rich stared intently at his laptop and watched as the calculations unfolded on the screen, his fingers tapping nonstop on the keyboard as he made sure to make every number count.

Suddenly, in bright red writing it announced ‘CALCULATIONS CORRECT’ and Rich could have jumped for joy. Everything was coming together and all he needed to do now, was to contact NASA.

This may have been the stepping stones to getting Mark Fischbach back to Earth.

“You’re saying, you have a plan to get our astronaut home in under two months?” Teddy asked, his voice condescending as the young scruffy scientist sat himself down on the large table in front of the head of NASA.

He nodded confidently, a large grin on his face as he set his laptop down in front of him and pulled it open, turning it around in order to show Teddy who honestly didn’t have the foggiest of what scientific anomaly was going on the screen.

“My plan is quite simple honestly. All we have to do is get Hermes to stay in space and go back to Mars”

Immediately, everyone in the room stopped in their actions and stared at Purnell as if he’d just screamed bloody murder. No one could comprehend his proposition.

“You mean to tell us that our astronauts, who I remind you have nearly been in space for nine months, would be forced to stay in their ship for another two months? I don’t know if we can do that their families” But the scientist was persistent and he was quick to stand up.

“As I said, it’s quite simple. All we do is have the Hermes use Earth’s gravity as a way to propel themselves faster in Mars’ direction and receive the Chinese rocket launced IRIS satellite so they have enough supplies for the journey there and back. They will then arrive at Mars, where Mark would then launch himself out of the atmosphere with the Ares IV rocket which is already stationed there. Once launched, the rocket will meet the Hermes halfway”

The room was utterly silent and everyone could only stare one more as it was clear everyone was astounded by what he was willing to put not only the Hermes crew through but also, Mark as well.

But Teddy seemed almost impressed and he smirked at Purnell. “Right, what do we you propose we do first?”

Smirking back at him, Rich crossed his arms firmly across his chest and looked over at the other members of staff.

“You need to tell the crew of the Hermes. That Mark Fischbach, the man they abandoned nearly four months ago. Is alive”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to upload two chapters tonight to make up for delay
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Kudos and comments always appreciated! <3

There was no doubt that people were reluctant to tell the crew. Not after they’d specifically refrained from telling them to avoid adding stress to their already tedious trip back home. So when Rich had been very adamant that they told them, people were quick to argue.

But after debate and angry disputes, it came down to their chief commander of the astronaut programme to prepare a video message which would inform all of the five members of the Hermes of their fellow comrade’s current location and condition.

Controversy was high but again, there couldn’t afford for any time to be lost when there was so little of it in the first place.

Hermes as a space station was incredibly spacious but in that space, there was constant tasks that all five members had to do. There was no breaks within the days and let alone the months that they lived inside that station.

Everyday was something new or something old, everyone was fixed to their own jobs and now with Mark’s absence, it meant that they also had to do his tasks too. But when you’re in the midst of space, keeping yourself busy was what prevented you from becoming insane.

To know that you couldn’t go outside and were so far away from home, it sometimes drove astronauts to the brink of breaking point. It was lucky that the crew of the Hermes were so strong.

It was Sol 304 when the Hermes crew received a video message. Nothing could have prepared them for the information in which they’d been fed. Every little detail and every aspect of which their commander spoke, gave them more understanding of the severity of the situation.

Not to mention, they’d just learned that Mark Fischbach, having been pronounced dead by the crew themselves, was actually alive and stranded on Mars.

Their leader, Melissa Lewis was hit especially with the news. She’d been the one to make the decision to leave Mark behind and now, she was feeling the full force of what she’d done.

She was constantly told by NASA and by the members of Hermes that it was not her fault, but she knew for a fact that she’d been responsible for their departure from Mars. For the leaving of Mark Fischbach on the red planet.

Lewis was fully responsible for Mark’s dire situation and she knew what had to be done.

Her response was quick and snappy as her fingers typed out on the keyboard, Lewis felt confidence that what she was doing was the right thing.

‘We will go along with the plan. No one leaves their man behind. Whether it be in the ocean or in space.’

Mark looked down at the floor and sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair as he contemplated on the information he’d just been given. To learn that the Hermes crew had little to no knowledge that he was alive after all this time, it felt like an unrighteous kick in the teeth.

There was no point in moping about it now though, they knew and that’s all that should have mattered.

Though, he felt increasing concern that the plan which had been set out for them would not work. Despite Rich’s dependability and correct calculations, there was that small niggling feeling in the back of Mark’s brain that told him that something may go wrong.

It also didn’t replace the fact that this plan would commence within a month’s time, this was not what Mark had planned. He’d wanted to come home in time for Jack giving birth and that seemed like a fruitless dream now.

The man was coming into his ninth month and there was no doubt that he would soon give birth. Jack had told him in their last video chat that the due date was around the end of November and this of course filled the older man with nothing more than sheer excitement.

But it also filled him with dread at the aspect that Mark would not return to Earth until the middle of January, nearly more than a month after their child had been born.

Mark kept high hopes though and began his plans to travel to the Ares IV site where the rocket would be situated. His situation had been becoming much more extreme in the past two weeks as food rations started to dwindle and it started to affect his body.

More and more of his body mass melted away, leaving him with jutting bones that he hadn’t seen since his teen years (after he began to build up muscle) and it was becoming shocking just how much his health was being affected after nearly four months of eating nothing but potatoes and space ration packs.

He could only hope that the Hermes would come soon. The last thing he needed was to die before this plan could take place.

Jack was all for the plan but he couldn’t help but worry when Purnell mentioned how long it would take for Mark to come back. He felt a strong pain in his chest when he realised that his husband would not be back in time for when he went into labour.

The knowledge that Mark would not be able to touch and hold his newborn son filled the Irishman with the agonizing sensation of upset and he was quick to leave the NASA headquarters, knowing he needed to get over this in the comfort of his own home.

This of course did not prevent NASA from going ahead with their plans. Everything was set into place, the Chinese rocket had been gracefully donated and tested and the IRIS satellite was halfway through the process of being built. The confidence in which the headquarters felt grew larger with every success that it managed to get.

While this was going on, the Hermes crew had redirected its course toward Earth and they knew for a fact that this would be difficult. Being so close to their home planet for the first time since their descent nearly nine months ago and knowing they couldn’t return just yet, it would hurt greatly.

With the planet in their sights, they planned for gravitation propulsion and the receival of the IRIS satellite, knowing that within the next few weeks, everything would be very much focussed on getting to Mark.

Lewis knew that all too well, her mind constantly occupied on the fellow crew member and friend that she’d managed to leave behind. Constantly crippled with guilt, she used it as a way to push herself forward and motivate her through this tough time.

Her husband would be missing her and she’d be missing him. But there was just some things that she’d have to sacrifice for the sake of bringing a friend back home.

“Hey baby, how ya feeling?” Mark asked, a large smile on his face as he looked over the sheer glowing form that was his husband. Jack blushed and smiled back at him, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the ground and then back at his husband.

“I’m great, Markimoo. How yeh doin’? Yer lookin’ a bit on the thin side”

The older man snorted and rolled his eyes, shaking his head dismissively. “Once I’m back on the Hermes, I’m going straight to the gym, I’ll have those muscles back that you love so much” He teased, sticking out his tongue.

Jack laughed gently at him and couldn’t help but smile wider, a hand placing itself on the large mound that he couldn’t believe was his stomach. He’d definitely gotten bigger since his last video chat with Mark and he felt excited to show him.

“How’s the baby? They been waiting for me to get back?” The American joked, a cheesy grin on his face. Jack gave him a disdained look and smirked at him. “I don’t think they want t’ wait a month fer yeh t’ come back. If anythin’, I want them out soon. Sick of bein’ pregnant. It’s a pain in the arse”

Both of them laughed heartily and then smiled at each other simultaneously, Mark leaning forward on his desk to put his hand out to touch the screen. The Irishman noticed his intimate gesture and repeated the action, both men looking on at each other almost in a longing fashion.

But within the space of only a few minutes, Jack’s face quickly changed and he fell forward, gasping in pain as he held his bump in a panicked matter. “Oh shit!.. Fuck!”

Mark’s eyes bulged and he moved his hand away, feeling panic start up in his stomach, feeling it knot painfully.

“What?! What is it?!”

The younger man looked down and then back up at his husband, his face seemingly distraught. “I don’t know how t’ tell ya this, Mark. But my water jus’ broke, the baby is comin’”


	10. Chapter 10

All the colour drained itself out of Mark’s face when he heard the words that his lover has just uttered to him.

‘The baby is coming’

That was something that Mark had been dreading to hear ever since he found out that he was trapped here on Mars and inside, he felt upset to realise that the thing he’d been worrying about the most was about to happen.

“A-are ya sure?” Mark asked, his body frozen to the core with shock and his whole face a picture of sickness and panic. The Irishman gasped as a contraction suddenly ripped through him and he lifted his head, anger on his face.

“Pretty fuckin’ sure Mark!”

The older man ran his hands through his hair in a stressed manner and stood up out of his seat, feeling like he needed to get over there and tend to Jack but he knew that he couldn’t. Not when there was the sheer vastness of space between them.

“Jesus, Jack.. I don’t want to miss this. I was already scared of missing it, surely there’s a way I can be there for you..” And as Mark pondered on that fact, the other man already had something in mind and a small smirk came to place itself on his lips.”I think I might have jus’ got an idea, Markimoo”

Immediately, the American’s attention was pulled toward him and he looked at his husband, expectant of his answer.

“I-I’ll take my laptop with me. Yes, a little bit of a mood breaker and an awkward piece of equipment t’ carry around. But it might mean you’ll be able t’ see our son be born”

This sense of relief was quick to pass itself over Mark and he nodded his head at him, feeling like this was the only feasible thing they could right now. “If you think that’s what is best, babe. Then let’s do it”

Jack smiled sweetly at his husband but it was short-lived as another contraction hit him and he was left with a pained expression on his face, cursing aloud as he threw his head back. “Right, I need t’ get t’ the hospital quick befer I birth our kid in our fuckin’ bedroom” And with that, he stood up and started to get changed, Mark watching intently the entire time.

“You gonna be okay driving there yourself?” The Irishman smiled once again and rolled his eyes, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt since he knew he’d be made to wear a hospital gown once he got there.

“I’ll be fine Markimoo. It’s gonna be a while until he gets here. I should be alright”

He pulled a bag over his shoulder and with his spare arm, unplugged his laptop and put the charger into the bag. Carrying the device as he began his way toward the car, going down flights of stairs and through the couple’s kitchen and living room until he was outside.

Mark felt strong bouts of nostalgia as he watched Jack move through their house. Feeling frustrated by the idea that he couldn’t walk beside him and instead he was stuck watching his husband’s struggle as he climbed into their shared car and started his journey toward the hospital.

A couple hours passed and everything had become more and more scary for the American. Currently he was watching as the other man fought long and hard through his contractions, technically alone with no other human in the room despite the Mark’s presence being there on the laptop.

How he could only wish that he could put his arm through the monitor, to stroke at Jack’s back and reassure him that everything would be okay and that he was there for him. But he was stuck here on Mars, forced to witness as Jack struggled through the pain.

Jack was a technician and trained in engineering and knew how to deal with situations where things were tough and there was no easy way through them. His mentality was that with every struggle, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

But Mark couldn’t see him being in the same mindset, not when his whole body lurched and shook with the pain travelling through it. Whenever he saw Jack’s face, it looked more weak and sick than the last.

His lover was struggling and there was nothing that Mark could do.

“Mark?.. Are yeh cryin’?” The younger man slowly sat up in his bed and pulled the laptop closer to him, noticing that the other man was currently sobbing away to himself. “Mark? What’s wrong?”

The American wiped his eyes and tried to hold back another sob that threatened to escape him, looking down at the ground and then back up at his husband. “I just hate seeing you in so much pain and knowing I can’t do anything. I want to be there for you, baby..” This caused Jack to smirk and he chuckled gently, much to Mark’s surprise.

“As long as yer in the room with me, I feel like I could lift houses. You bein’ here, is what gets me through this Markimoo. I want nothin’ more than fer yeh t’ be beside me granted. But things happen and I’m jus’ happy yer here with me now, even if it’s behind a screen”

Feeling happiness rush through him, Mark placed his hand on the monitor and blew a kiss at the other man, aware of how cheesy he was being as Jack laughed and returned the gesture. “I love you..” He whispered, staring at Jack with a lustful expression.

Jack blushed and then blew another kiss at him. “I love yeh too.. Now, let’s have a baby shall we?”

Another four hours went by and they were the worst hours that Jack had ever endured in his life. With every breath, he screamed bloody murder and his whole body was wracked with pain.

The entire time, Mark said nothing but encouragement and sweet nothings that he hoped would help Jack as he found himself torn open by the child he was currently birthing.

He gripped the bed frame and pretended that he was holding Mark’s hand. There were tears in his closed eyes and his teeth were gritted so hard, he wouldn’t be surprised if he heard them crack.

And then he heard it, the sound of a baby crying filling the room.

Mark’s eyes bulged out of his skull as he saw as their child was lifted from between his husband’s legs. Everything in his body was stiff and he was filled with shock, watching as the child was placed on Jack’s heaving chest and it moved.

It actually moved. That child was alive and not to mention, his.

“O-oh my god, Jack..” The older man barely managed to say, feeling his heart pounding in his chest while the Irishman opened his eyes and looked down at the baby on the chest, it was crying loudly and he couldn’t help but tear up, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The couple shared a look and then Jack smiled at him, running his hands over their newborn as he showed just how real their son really was. “He’s here, Mark..” Jack croaked, kissing the top of the baby’s head and then falling back against the bed.

Closing his eyes and resting his head on the desk, Mark breathed in deeply and thought about Jack’s words. He was right. He was here.

A couple weeks passed after the birth of Mark’s son and he was looking fondly over at the picture he’d been sent on his laptop of the child. Having been called Mark William Fischbach Jr. after Mark’s first name and Jack’s second name, there was doubt in the older man’s mind how proud he was of his son.

And of course Jack, for bringing him into the world.

There was no time now for Mark to feine too long over his baby though as he started packing away his things, placing his laptop into one of the packs that he’d take into the rover with him. This journey would surely take a while but he knew in his mind that it would all be worth it in the end.

Nearly forty days of travelling would take it out of the American, but those were the risks he was willing to take.

Packing the last of his things into the rover, he looked over at the base one last time and bid it adieu, feeling almost sad for leaving the place that housed him for more than five months.

Meanwhile, it was becoming apparent that there was something wrong with this plan that Rich Purnell had introduced to NASA nearly a month ago. To the technicians there at the facility, the sheer weight of the rocket that Mark would launch himself in, was too much to take him out of Mars’ atmosphere.

Teddy pinched his brow and sighed through his teeth, looking at the head engineer for any prompts that would avoid Mark’s failure to leave Mars.

“Well, what we’re willing to propose..” And with that, he removed a cloak to reveal a scaled-down model of the component that Mark would be situated inside. “..that we take away certain parts of the rocket to lessen the weight and therefore allow him to propel further”

As he did that, he removed the top of the component and Teddy looked at him with a condescending expression. “And what do you propose we do about the missing top?” The technician felt relief that he’d already thought that through.

“I believe that we use a tarp to cover the top. Mars will not have a large amount of air resistance as it is since it becomes incredibly thin the higher Mark goes. Therefore, we use a tarp in replacement of the top of the rocket”

There was silence within the room but Teddy nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll let Fischbach know the plans”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The baby is finally here! Hoorah!


End file.
